Cities are defined by their most recognizable attractions. Paris is synonymous with the Eiffel Tower, London with Big Ben, and Rome with its Colosseum. But there are so many more things you can see and do in those places. By thinking about them just in terms of visiting the Louvre – or, even worse, visiting the Louvre and making a beeline to see the Mona Lisa – you are actually robbing yourself of the full, authentic experience, and replacing it with a commercialized one that often has very little to do with what the city is really like.
To help you out with that, here are a couple of things you can also see and do in several well-known major European cities.
Paris (France)
While Paris is brimming with activities in just about any possible sphere, to get a real sense of the city’s history and how it evolved to become the urban metropolis it is today, you have to go under it. The infamous catacombs of Paris are a testament to everything the city has gone through, and the generations of people who built and supported it.
The remains of over six million are interred in these passageways, and, while it definitely isn’t for everyone, tours that explore them are popular and unforgettable experiences.
Rome (Italy)
Like the saying goes – “All roads lead to Rome,” and nowhere is this phrase more apt than on the famous Appian Way (Via Appia, in Italian). Named after the Roman censor Appius Claudius Caecus who started its construction in 312 BC, it connects Rome with Brindisi, a port city in Southeastern Italy.
This 300 kilometer-long cobbled road is surrounded by stunning views – beautiful nature, as well as ancient buildings, such as the three catacombs (Santa Domitilla, San Callisto, and San Sebastiano) and numerous aqueducts you can find along its length.
London (United Kingdom)
If you are a Harry Potter fan, then there is no better place to be than London. Besides the Warner Bros. Studio Tour in the nearby town of Watford, there are also several locations pertaining to the books and movies. You can see the semi-official sequel stage play “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child”, which is regularly performed in London theaters.
Or you can visit Platform 9 ¾ on King’s Cross railway station – the very one Harry Potter uses to travel to Hogwarts – in person and see luggage that’s “magically” fused in the wall.
Prague (Czech Republic)
Czechs pride themselves on having the best beer in the world. Indeed, beer has a long and colorful tradition in the Czech Republic, with Czechs being the biggest consumers of this beverage in the world.
So it is only fitting that they also have a museum dedicated entirely to beer – its history, means of production, and even drinking samples given out at the end of the tour. Prague’s Czech Beer Museum is a great opportunity to learn more about the history and secrets of the craft of this popular alcoholic drink.
